As 2021 appears on the horizon, we look forward to hopefully regaining a sense of control at some point.

Both brands and customers alike have been in reactive mode, changing business strategies and life plans as lockdown levels fluctuated. As 2020 went on, people turned to businesses to help them get the things they previously took for granted done. As demand for services such as food delivery increased, brands faced sustained pressure to move with agility and help people at the most basic level. But in truth, this is what brands do. At a basic level, they help people. They solve a specific problem facing their customer. This year, doing so has often been more than enough, but one day soon, we’ll reach the point once again at which this is necessary, yet insufficient.

Over the last 20 years, we have become increasingly aware that brands need to exist for reasons beyond meeting a need. Customer expectations have evolved and continue to do so. Brands are now expected to take a stand, choose a side...